‘Ghost Rider’ sequel disappoints see p. 4
77 years... and counting
Tuesday February 21, 2012 Volume 138, Issue 13
SPARTAN DAILY
SJSU gymnastics fueled by teamwork see p. 3
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Arts center lures literary luminaries by Boris Slager Staff Writer
The Center for Literary Arts brings established and non-established writers to SJSU and the surrounding community. “Our mission is to bring literature to people,” said Andrew Altschul, the director for the center. The center puts on events featuring writers, some who have won Pulitzer prizes and some who are just getting started, Altschul said. He said he was hired to teach in the English department and to run the learning arts center. The most recent writer the center brought in was Rae Armantrout, who was on hand Feb. 15 and 16 and who won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2010. “At (the center’s) events, I have been able to meet some legendary writers, including Arthur Miller, Ursula Le Guin, and E.L. Doctorow, and I have gained insights into their work that are unavailable otherwise,” Julie Sparks, a lecturer in the English department, stated in an email. “It feels truly surreal to stand across a table from these titans while they sign a book for me, but it gives me at least a tiny sense of what they are like as human beings, not just as literary icons.” Altschul said the center also features new writers in a series called West Coast Writers. “We like to have a variation of writers for each semester,” he said. It takes more than a year to coordinate with the authors on when they should
come out, and more than 75 percent of authors agree to come to campus, Altschul said. “We bring writers who fit our mission,” he said. The writers come out to reach a diverse audience and to get exposure, he said. “The Center for Literary Arts is an indispensable part of the education of young writers at San Jose State,” English assistant professor Nick Taylor stated in an email. Altschul said he communicates with faculty on who the center should bring in to speak. “I can’t think of a more comprehensive campus reading series,” Taylor stated. Altschul went on to say that the organization provides airfare and hotel for the visiting writers. Altschul said he brings the writers out to lunch and dinner, so when they leave the writers can spread the good word of SJSU. He added that half the funding for the cen-
SEE LITERARY PAGE 2
“It feels truly surreal to stand across a table from these titans…” – Julie Sparks, English lecturer
Open University student Montana Smith stands on the highest point of Brimstone Hill Fortress, a former British military base dating to the 17th century, on the island of St. Kitts in the Eastern Caribbean islands.
Smith was one of 12 students who attended associate professor Marco Meniketti’s faculty-led archaeology program in the country of St. Kitts and Nevis last summer. Photo by Leo Postovoit / Spartan Daily
Oh, the places you can go Four study abroad programs over four session periods create learning opportunities by Eddie Fernandez Staff Writer
SJSU’s study abroad program and International Programs and Services are seeing more student applications being submitted thanks to both their services. “We are increasing our numbers for students studying abroad and that is due to the increased awareness of the programs we offer,” said Justine Toro, a student director with the study abroad program. Raising awareness to students through high promotion has been a key factor in giving students the opportunity to study overseas. “I think we are doing a good job of promoting the SJSU study abroad program on campus and that is why more students are turning in their applications,” Toro said. SJSU offers multiple programs sessions — summer, semester, winter or academic year programs, Toro said. According to Toro, SJSU has a total of three
programs that students interested in traveling the world can choose from. There are also multiple faculty-led programs developed by individual departments. Quentin Nolibois, a French foreign exchange student, said he selected SJSU as his school for the academic year because he wanted to come to California. “I came here because I love how California is mostly about the music, mostly rap” said Nolibois, a junior public relations major. Nolibois added that people in the Bay Area are friendlier, outgoing and he likes the California lifestyle compared to France. “Alcohol is cheaper, food is cheaper,” Nolibois said. He said he can see California being his new home one day if he can find a job. Stephanie Garcia, a senior majoring in hospitality management, said she spent one semester studying abroad in Argentina. “What I was looking for in a program was first of all that they offered my major…” Garcia said. Garcia found out that SJSU’s Bilateral program would allow her to take her education to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the fall 2011 semester. “I feel like it’s such an eye opener because it’s nothing compared to where we live over
here in the United States,” Garcia said. “You get to see how other people live. Garcia noted that her experience in Argentina allowed her to get a perspective on how dependent people in the United States are on their phones, computers and other technology. “In Buenos Aires, the pace of life is way faster than here in San Jose,” she said. “Everyone is in a rush to get somewhere, the people are more or` less semi-friendly.” Garcia noted that there were a lot of people in Buenos Aires that are busy and the city can be kind of dangerous. In one experience she said she got her wallet stolen while riding the metro. According to Garcia, studying abroad gives you time to explore and really get to know yourself and different people. Garcia adds that it’s a different world outside the U.S. and she has met people from Columbia and Mexico. Students pay normal SJSU tuition and fees with most study abroad programs, according to SJSU’s study abroad website, and students can use their financial aid to apply for study abroad scholarships. Students are eligible for most programs if
SEE ABROAD PAGE 6
Pot-smuggling tunnels from Tijuana grow more elaborate McClatchy Tribune Wire Service
A rubber-tracked robot enters a storm sewer on Feb. 6. Federal agents from the San Diego Tunnel Task Force demonstrated the robot that is used to explore narcotics tunnels. Photo by Tim Johnson / MCT
TIJUANA, Mexico — When smuggling goes smoothly for the marijuana division of the huge Sinaloa Cartel, cross-border deliveries unfold with clockwork precision. Harvested marijuana arrives in plastic-wrapped bales to a depot hidden among the rundown warehouses on the Mexican side of the concrete U.S. border fence. Once enough marijuana is collected, workers drop the vacuum-packed bales through shafts leading to the ever-more-elaborate tunnels that cross underneath the border through the clay-laden soil. U.S. agents have been waging war against the tunnels for years, using a range of high-tech devices from ground-penetrating radar to seismic sensors to find and destroy them. Despite the efforts, drug smugglers continue to build the tunnels, often spending $1 million to dig a single pathway equipped with lighting, forced-air ventilation, water pumps, shoring on
walls and hydraulic elevators. Lately, new tunnels have included railways. The bales move on electric mining carts with hand throttles that roll up to 15 mph. “A tunnel represents an incursion into the U.S., and it’s a national security event,” said Jose M. Garcia, who oversees the federal multi-agency San Diego Tunnel Task Force. The location of the tunnels helps explain why agents have such difficulty finding them. The area where the most advanced tunnels have been found is adjacent to the Tijuana International Airport, where scores of planes take off and land daily. Nearby warehouses buzz with legitimate activity. “All that noise from the airport is a great advantage to them,” said Victor Clark Alfaro, an anthropologist and human rights activist in Tijuana who also lectures at San Diego State University. “This border is perforated like an anthill.” U.S. officials say they have found more than 160 tunnels since 1990 along the 1,954-mile border, mostly in
SEE TUNNEL PAGE 2
CORRECTIONS In the Feb. 20 issue of the Spartan Daily, Alpha Kappa Omega was incorrectly identified as Alpha Phi Omega in the cutline of the photo for the article titled “Teaming up for charity.” In the same issue, Russell Hancock’s name was misspelled in the article titled “Silicon Valley pay rises, presents opportunity for college students in tech.” The Spartan Daily regrets these errors.
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LITERARY: Wide range of authors visiting library FROM PAGE 1 ter comes from grants and the other half comes from private donations. Graduate student Jessica Keaton said she is in charge of setting up for the events, publicity and getting the word out. “I didn’t realize how cool it would be until I did it,� Keaton said. Keaton said this is her second semester with the literary arts center and she is looking forward to continue working with the center. She said her favorite writer so far was Daniel Handler.
Handler writes under the pen name Lemony Snicket and wrote “A Series of Unfortunate Events,� which was adapted into a film in 2004. He also has written more than 10 other books, including “Watch Your Mouth,� “The Beatrice Letters� and “The Lump of Coal.� Keaton said, “It was fun to see all the kids get excited for him.� These events are usually held at Dr. Martin Luthur King Jr. Library in room 225/229, unless the audience warrants a bigger space, Altschul said. The arts center has been in existence for 26 years and has been on SJSU’s campus the entire time, he said.
Altschul said he has been the director for three years, and in his time as director he has not charged viewers at the door to attend the events. “We wouldn’t charge at the door so more people can come to the event,� Altschul said. He said each event is taped for archival purposes and for grant purposes. The center has recorded the last 10 to 15 years of its events and is in the early stages of making them available through streaming video, Altschul said. He said the center wants to do streaming so more people can see the event and the writers the arts center has to offer.
The Spartan Bookstore partners with the center and provides the books for each event so attendees can buy them and have them signed, stated Cindy Nimrud, a computer and trade books manager, in an email. “We try to reach out and get involved with as many groups (and) organizations as we can,� Nimrud stated. Though the center does not get any of the money generated by the bookstore at the events, Altschul said the literary arts center is glad the bookstore is on hand. “We are not in it to turn a profit,� he said.
TUNNEL: Cross-border drug trafficking broken down to a routine FROM PAGE 1 the stretch of Mexico that borders Arizona and California. In the past 15 months, U.S. agents have busted increasingly sophisticated tunnels. Geography and geology make the intensely urban Tijuana-San Diego corridor ideal for the tunnels. Tijuana is Mexico’s sixth largest city, with 1.3 million people, while San Diego is the eighth largest U.S. city. Moreover, soil here has a composition that’s easy to dig. In a two-week span last November, U.S. agents shut down two sophisticated tunnels that led from an area near Tijuana’s airport to the Otay Mesa industrial park on the U.S. side. Some 49 tons of marijuana were seized. The discoveries marked the second year in a row in which elaborate tunnels were found within a mile of the busy Otay Mesa border crossing. U.S. officials are sensitive about a public view that they aren’t finding the tunnels. “Understandably, American citizens react to news stories about the discovery of a large tunnel, complete with plumbing, lights, ventilation and a rudimentary railway system, with a mixture of surprise, indignation, alarm and dismay,� Laura E. Duffy, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, told the Senate drug caucus last June. Part of the difficulty, she said, is that drug traffickers use horizontal drills that cost up to $75,000 and can cut without disturbing topsoil. The tunnels run anywhere from 30 to 90 feet deep, avoiding greater depths, which would hit underground water tables. Drug traffickers also have been adept at setting up bogus U.S. companies to rent space in bustling Otay Mesa and its 600 warehouses and 12,000 busi-
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sp partaGuide Dreams: The Forgotten Language of the Spirit Presented by SJ Spirit 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 Student Union-Ohlone Room
Movie Showing: Great Debaters MCOM 105 Diversity in Media 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 Dwight Bentel Hall 133
Live Interview Demonstration and Business Fashion Show Presented by the Career Center 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 Student Union Ballroom Free admission All students welcome
Book Review: “Hear I Stand� Presented by the African-American Faculty and Staff Association (AAFSA) and Yollette Merritt 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 Student Union-Costanoan Room An elaborate cross-border drug smuggling tunnel is discovered inside a warehouse near San Diego on Nov. 29, 2011. Photo by Ron Rogers / MCT
nesses. Many firms are unaware of activities by their neighbors, perhaps noticing only if there’s truck traffic at unusual hours. Garcia said that even with devices such as seismic sensors, a majority of tunnel busts came from tipoffs by informants or suspicious warehouse operators. Big tunnels are thought to be the work of the Sinaloa Cartel, which has seized control of Tijuana from the local Arellano-Felix Cartel after years of bloody conflict and now is operating in tandem with remnants of the group. Sinaloa operatives employ mining engineers and architects to help construct their tunnels, while keeping knowledge of locations to as few people as possible. Experts on the San Diego Tunnel Task Force say “some tunnel excavators in Mexico are killed when the job is done to prevent them from spreading the word on the location,� Duffy told senators.
Marijuana growers are turning to ever-larger plantations to meet the capacity of bigger tunnels. Last July, soldiers found a 300-acre screened and irrigated marijuana plantation near San Quintin, 150 miles south of Tijuana, which was four times larger than any such site that had been seized before. Eight months earlier, soldiers seized 148 tons — 134 metric tons — of pot in Tijuana, a record. U.S. and Mexican agents say that tunnel digging, using pneumatic spades, generally is limited to teams of six or seven men. They live at the Tijuana site where the tunnel begins, and excavation is timed to conclude with the harvesting of marijuana crops in late summer and early autumn, so there’s little time for the tunnel to sit idle and be detected. “The process is tedious,� Garcia said, involving working day and night and lugging bags of dirt along the shaft for removal.
Even with million-dollar investments, Garcia said the tunnel builders “recoup that by making just one trip, given the value of the narcotics we’ve seized.� Most bales of marijuana carry stickers, often fanciful images such as Donald Duck, Captain America, Budweiser or Homer Simpson. The stickers indicate ownership and destination, U.S. agents said. Tunnel operatives make sure to recoup their investments first. “The way it works is the tunnel guys build it, so their stuff gets through first. Once it gets through, they start hiring out� to other drug organizations, said Louis Gomez, the supervisor of the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, which includes agents of Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.
Movie: Yossi & Jagger Presented by Spartans for Israel 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 Student Union-Almaden Room Open Admission
Ash Wednesday Presented by SJ Spirit 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 Spartan Memorial SpartaGuide is provided to students, staff and faculty, free of charge. The deadline to submit is at noon, three working days prior to desired publication date. Entry forms are available in Spartan Daily, DBH 209. Send emails to spartandailyeditorial@sjsumedia.com titled “SpartaGuide.� Space restrictions may require editing or exclusion of submissions. Entry is not guaranteed. Entries are printed in order of which they are received.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
SJSU gymnasts work together to excel, rise to national ranking by Julie Myhre Staff Writer
Cheerful chants and clapping can be heard echoing down the halls of the Spartan Complex in the early weekday afternoon. These are the sounds that come from the No. 28 nationally ranked gymnastics team’s practice. “We know how to motivate each other and stick together as a team,” said junior all-around gymnast Alyssa Telles-Nolan. The child development major said she thinks the group is so successful because they know how to come together and work as a team. Head coach Wayne Wright said he thinks it is important to motivate his team and to do so he shares an inspirational quote at the beginning of each practice. “I always look for a quote that means something that I want to make a point of doing that day,” Wright said. “It’s something that’s thought-provoking – something to get them to think about what that (quote) means and we talk about it and we try to gear our practice towards that quote.” The ranking changes weekly based on how the team places in its weekly meets, Wright said. “I think the most exciting part is we’ve been doing really well, but we all know that we can do better so just kind of knowing that there is so many more things that we can accomplish,” said assistant coach Liz Major. The team has a lot of talent and a chemistry that is indescribable, said the SJSU alumna. “We’ve just been really consistent and have just
really helped each other build on the past successes and just doing better each week,” Major said. Wright said besides its success on the gymnastics mats, the team has an average GPA of 3.4. “As a Division I athlete, it’s hard as a student as well and we try to separate that,” Wright said. “When we’re in the gym we focus on gymnastics, or in the classroom we focus on classroom stuff. We just always keep that in perspective, and we never try to slip for what we’re here to do.” Undeclared freshman Kiley Field said she was overwhelmed when she first joined the team because she said it was difficult to balance studying and gymnastics. “First semester was pretty stressful for me because I didn’t know how to balance everything out, but this semester so far has been a lot better,” said the all-around gymnast. Field said she learned to balance gymnastics, studies and her personal time. Wright said the team has a very hectic schedule during the
“I think (gymnastics) will be a part of me forever ... I don’t want to give it up.”
– Cassandra Harrison, SJSU sophomore gymnast
season, with Monday through Friday four-hour practices and meets every weekend. “Our season starts January (1) and goes through the middle of April,” he said. “So we start the second week in January. We’ve had a meet every weekend since then and in one weekend we had two meets.” Wright said that weekend they had a home meet on Friday night then took a bus to compete at UCLA, returned back to San Jose on Monday and began practicing Tuesday for the team’s meet the next Friday. Assistant coach Shella Martinez said she makes sure to encourage them in everything they do. “I try to keep them positive and confident, and I try to support them in what they do,” Martinez said. Wright said he thinks of the 19-woman team and coaches as a support network. “You get a built-in family coming to college,” Wright said.” It makes you feel comfortable that you’re coming to a group of individuals that you already know that are here for you and that will be here to support you.” Sophomore all-around gymnast Cassandra Harrison said she appreciates the bond she has with her teammates. “I think we have a really tight knit group of girls because we know what we want to do,” she said. “We want to be successful, and we’re all working towards the same goals. So we’re all on the same page. We all have each others’ backs all day, every day.” The kinesiology major said she wants to go on to teach
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Casey McCord, a senior business management major, practices her balance beam routine during practice Wednesday, Feb. 15. SJSU is ranked 28th in the country. Photo by Raphael Kluzniok / Spartan Daily
gymnastics after she graduates from SJSU. “I think (gymnastics) will be a part of me forever,” Harrison said. “It’s been such a big part of my life, and I don’t want to give it up.” Wright said his team thinks of everything as a challenge
and they take those challenges very seriously. “Our team works really hard,” he said. “They are a great bunch of young ladies. They do a good job in the gym and the classroom. They represent San Jose State well.”
Wright said the team is also proud to be involved in community service. They strive to succeed at everything they do and “they’re a great bunch of athletes that sometimes get overlooked by the bigger sports,” but still manage to do well, Wright said.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
â– REVIEW
‘Ghost Rider’ falls off the bike by Boris Slager Staff Writer
Po’boys and the oyster loaf by Samantha Clark Staff Writer
Loosen your belts because today is a day of unabashed gluttony. Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French, and the day calls for enjoying fatty and rich food before the fasting of the Catholic Lenten season, which begins tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is notoriously celebrated in New Orleans, where one of America’s best regional food calls home. The po’ boy, or poor boy, is a New Orleans classic that takes many different forms, and one of the most famous is the oyster loaf. James Beard (think male Julia Child) once wrote that the oyster loaf “was what gentlemen who lingered too long in their favorite bar took home to the little woman as a peace offering.� If a trip to New Orleans isn’t in your cards, Silicon Valleybased food truck Louisiana Territory serves up blackened chicken, pepper and sausage and fried catfish po’ boys. According to Steve Tedesco, food truck manager, customers keep asking for oyster po’ boys. When asked what his favorite po’ boy was, Tedesco said, “For me, it’s the fried catfish because it’s good catfish, the least spicy and has the best flavor.� Tedesco said po’ boys come in many variations, but
Louisiana Territory hollows out their bread – traditional style – giving more packing room for sauce and fried “stuffin’s.� Elna Green, associate dean of the College of Humanities and the Arts, who went to graduate school at Tulane University of Louisiana said her favorite is a shrimp po’ boy and that seafood is a New Orleans specialty. “I don’t eat poor boys anywhere but New Orleans,� Green said. She followed by saying her favorite place to eat a po’ boy is at Franky & Johnny’s, a mom and pop joint that’s off the tourists’ maps and “has been around forever.� Want to find it? Green said locals say, “It’s off Tchoupitoulas Street, baby!� Tchoupitoulas Street is a famous New Orleans street and pronounced “CHOP-it-TOOluhs.� Michael J. Mizell-Nelson, associate professor of history at the University of New Orleans, wrote in an email that he began researching the story of the po’ boy sandwich because of his interest in labor history and if its name had any connection to the violent streetcar strike in New Orleans. According to Mizell-Nelson, Benny and Clovis Martin, who shared a grocery store, invented the poor boy sandwich in New Orleans during the 1920s. “When the streetcar union went on strike in July of 1929, the Martin brothers vowed to help their streetcar operator friends by feeding them large sandwiches made from loaves
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of French bread free of charge,� Mizell-Nelson wrote. According to Mizell-Nelson, the brothers initially promised a free meal but relegated their offer to large, robust sandwiches to maintain their support in an affordable manner. “Each time a striking worker entered their restaurant, the Martin brothers (may have called) out, ‘Here comes another poor boy,’� Mizell-Nelson wrote. The name stuck, and a legendary sandwich was born. Casamento’s Restaurant arguably has one of the best oyster loaves in all of New Orleans. Third generation owner, CJ Gerdes, said his grandfather started making the oyster loaf with a pan bread in 1919 instead of the conventional French Bread, creating a whole new tradition. He said the pan bread is like Texas toast – it’s a half to threequarters of an inch thick, toasted, buttered and stuffed with 10 to 15 oysters that were dipped in corn flour and fried in cast-iron skillets. For an oyster po’ boy in San Jose, head over to Poor House Bistro, where it is served with a cornmeal coating, homemade tartar sauce and cabbage and pickles. “The roll is nice and crispy – it’s a good bread roll,� said Scott Buckovic, fourth year history major. “The garlic spread accents well with the fried oysters, and it comes with the seafood gumbo.� Of course, nothing compares to the real thing — try a po’ boy in New Orleans.
★★★★★ The first “Ghost Rider� film was entertaining and fun. However, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance� failed to impress me. The film is a sequel to the “Ghost Rider� movie that came out in 2007. Unlike that movie, this one was not even entertaining. Nicolas Cage should have not reprised his role as the demon riding soul taker. Not only was the movie unentertaining, but even the special effects were terrible. The worst part of the effects is that at times the movie goes from live action to an animation illustration that reminds me of a graphic novel. In the movie, this transition takes place about three or four times and gets more annoying each time it happens. When the Ghost Rider is laughing it sounds unrealistic. The movie flashes back to an earlier time where a woman is dying and in exchange for her life, Roarke will have her bare him a child who is a half breed. Roarke does this so he can inhabit his son on Earth and use all his power. Roarke is supposedly the Devil in human form. Johnny Blaze, played by Cage, is recruited by a priest to save the child and prevent Roarke from inhabiting the child. The priest offers to remove the curse of the rider in payment for bringing the child to a sanctuary. Another problem with the movie is that Roarke gave Blaze his power.
The movie then has Nadya’s ex-boyfriend, Ray Carrigan played by Johnny Whitworth, tracking her and her son for Roarke. It is never explained why he is in league with Roarke or what actual connection Carrigan has to Nadya or her son. Once Blaze has brought the kid to this sanctuary he then embarks on trying to get rid of the Ghost Rider and goes into a secret cellar at the sanctuary to get rid of the Ghost Rider curse. The tale of how the Ghost Rider came into being is shown in the movie. It explains why he is evil and why he has a lust for souls. Next the movie tries to portray the Ghost Rider in a good light and that there might be a way to bring good with the rider’s power. This is completely ludicrous. He is a demon from hell, with his powers granted from Roarke. How can any good come out of that? Cage can sometimes make good movies and has even won an Oscar for “Leaving Las Vegas,� however his recent movies have not been his best work.
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So why doesn’t Roarke just take it away to prevent Blaze from stopping him? The movie doesn’t explain who this priest is or why he recruits the Ghost Rider. Also, a huge problem with the plot is that Blaze wants to save the child, and in the first one he was just trying to consume souls. However, these are not the biggest problems in the plot. The biggest problem is the child is half pure evil and it is never explained why he wants to be saved. This movie does have good action scenes, but the bad special effects are distracting. As in some action movies, this one just has the plot as a side bar to keep the action coming. The acting is also terrible, mainly by Cage, Violante Placido and Ciarån Hinds. Placido plays Nadya the mother of the boy and Hinds plays Roarke. I understand that the acting is not supposed to be great in action movies, but this was just plain awful. The movie then has the Ghost Rider tracking the child by his scent. This makes no sense at all.
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Nicholas Cage stars as Marvel Comic’s Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Photo courtesy of allmoviephoto.com
How to Play
Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3 by 3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively. Check back daily for new sudoku puzzles and solutions.
53 54 57 58 60 62 63 68 69 70 71 72 73
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FAMILY FRIENDLY By Kathy George
Greenpeace needs a new approach This column appears every other Tuesday Every day, I purposely avoid walking by the Student Union, especially in the afternoons. I take the other route to class — walking by the Seventh Street garage and the Event Center, so I don’t have pass by the Greenpeace volunteers asking students, staff and walkers by to donate money. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against helping the environment or saving the dolphins. Before I decided on journalism as a major, I actually wanted to be a scientist studying in the rainforest in Costa Rica someday. Preserving nature and the environment is something I’m really passionate about. I wouldn’t say I’m opposed to the idea of actually donating to Greenpeace or any other organization, for that matter. It’s the methods of the volunteers that really bother me. I have had several experiences while walking past the Student Union during the past year, and the majority of them have been unpleasant. I think I have only made it past one time without being
stopped while rushing to class or work. The very first time I was really nice about the whole situation. Maybe that’s the problem — I am way too nice. During this first encounter, a volunteer approached me as I was rushing to class. “Do you want to save the rainforest?” he asked. “Of course,” I said. The volunteer explained too that if I made a donation that very day, I would be saving the rainforest. I kindly explained that I didn’t have any money and that I was sorry. The volunteer followed me as I walked away, begging for me to let him tell me a story. I tried to tell him that I really needed to get to class and that I really didn’t have time today. He began to tell me the story anyway. This particular story was about tuna and the way in which the tuna industry was covering up using fish aggregating devices and how it was endangering the environment. According to an article on Greenpeace’s website, “Fish aggregating devices (aka FADs) are floating objects that tuna vessels cast adrift in the open ocean.” The article also said these small floating objects are used
to attract fish in the open ocean and can eventually develop an entire ecosystem around the object, which is then entirely wiped out when the tuna picks it up in its net.
“I would be much more likely to donate to an organization I could research on my own time, rather than because I heard a story that made me want to donate.” Many of the tuna being picked up are young tuna usually of the yellowfin and bigeye variety, which are two species in major trouble as far as endangered tuna go, the volunteer explained. “Basically, if we don’t stop using these devices, these varieties of tuna will completely disappear,” he said. I thought about this really hard in those few moments, before responding to the volunteer. I eventually told him that I
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OPINION
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
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Unspoken stories should never stay in a state of limbo
just didn’t have the money to donate at the time. Every time I pass by the Student Union, I see students turning down the volunteers left and right. I started really thinking about what bothered me so much about my experiences with Greenpeace, and I came to the conclusion that it isn’t the fact they are asking students for money — it was more the way they approached the whole idea. Maybe they need to try a new approach. I know several students that donate to Greenpeace, but from the talks I have had with some of these students it isn’t because they were followed while walking to class or stopped to hear a story about Greenpeace’s efforts, it was because they thought about it long and hard. Most students don’t seem to have the extra money to donate to causes such as these, and even if they do, maybe they would do it more often if organizations on campus gave out flyers or simply told students to check out their website when they turned them down. I would be much more likely to donate to an organization I could research on my own time, rather than because I heard a story that made me want to donate. Although that approach can be effective, most students are rushing around and don’t have the kind of time to stop to actually pay attention to the stories that could make them want to donate. With a new approach, Greenpeace could find itself with many more donations, especially when it comes to college students.
by Cynthia Ly Copy Editor
I’m a person of words. Which is why I will always remember “By the Great Horn Spoon!” a children’s novel written by Sid Fleischman. The story has a dastardly villain pretending to be a dentist, a boxing match involving a less-than-proper butler and subtle references to the injustices committed during the California Gold Rush. I read it in elementary school. I don’t remember what I ate for dinner three nights ago. Funny how memory works. Before mine digresses further, I need to get some words out of my system. Words unspoken — or spoken at the wrong time — cluster and crinkle and die. Then they cram themselves into a pine box, get buried below the surface and fester until a zombie apocalypse breaks out. Ninety-nine percent of my regrets stem from those deadly words, and they gnaw at my brain during inopportune times. My solution is to share stories. The oral tradition is one that appears in all cultures — encompassing the Greek epics of Homer to the songs of a soon-to-be-famous musician at a local open mic. Words are insubstantial until they are given physical form with ink or voice. By speaking, sharing and communicating, we become human. While I admit to having my fair share of secrets, I am willing to participate in a trade — story for story, fact for fact. It is only fair, after all. No, I do not want to know every intimate detail of everyone’s lives. That’s a bit creepy and deep in the dark zone labeled “stalker.” This is, in part, why I choose to stay in the field of journalism. I get to interview unique individuals, who, more often than not, feel deeply passionate about the work or topics they focus on.
Their stories and personalities come out with grins and grimaces, hand gestures and awkward silences. The crux of my situation is that I can’t interview people I have a direct connection to for an article. This means I will never be able to interview my friends for a story. To be honest, this is how it should be for any aspiring journalist who wants to be as fair as possible. This is not the problem because truly newsworthy topics end up being covered one way or another. The problem is that every time I hear about an effective volunteer organization or internationally-recognized program, I might not be able to report on it because of my standing connections. The words can get stuck in a kind of limbo. Ever watch the film “Inception?” It presents the idea of limbo as the deepest, most terrifying level of a dream — a place where you can no longer tell what is reality and, according to one of the characters, where “brains turn to scrambled eggs.” Yeah, being in limbo isn’t my cup of tea either. I’m a person of words, and if I may be so bold to state, everyone is as well. Thus, I wonder about the untold stories. There are family members I can never meet, and I only know their stories in ripped out pages given to me by my grandparents. I think about the words forced to be left unsaid, and even if they are not my own, their weight is just as heavy as any of my own boxed-up letters. But like anything tightly kept in a box, it is only a matter of time before the lid pops off and Jack the Clown metaphorically punches me in the face with the truth. Life isn’t fair, and I need to stop thinking it should be. I hate clowns. “If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood,” Isaac Asimov, the late novelist who wrote the Foundation series, said. “I’d type a little faster.” So I write, and I’ll write some more because there are stories that need — scream, beg, demand — to be told.
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ty of the Spartan Daily and may be edited for clarity, grammar, libel and length. Only letters of 300 words or less will be considered for publication. Published opinions and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spartan Daily, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or SJSU. The Spartan Daily is a public forum.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
ABROAD: Students can choose from more than 200 universities worldwide Located in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, this Buddhist nunnery was originally built in 1934 and maintains the 3.5 hectare (about 8.6 acres) Nan Lian Garden. It was renovated in 1998 to Tang Dynastystyle architecture, and the buildings are now made of interlocking wooden blocks. Photo by Cynthia Ly / Spartan Daily
LEGEND Countries where study abroad programs have been offered
A th Anthropology l and d behavioral b h l science double major Ryan Sullivan watches the sunset at Pinney’s Beach on the island of Nevis in the Eastern Caribbean. Sullivan was in the country of St. Kitts and Nevis on a faculty-led program by the anthropology department. Photo by Leo Postovoit / Spartan Daily
FROM PAGE 1 they have at least a 2.75 GPA, or 3.0 for some programs, and meet any additional criteria set by SJSU, according to the study abroad department website. Toro further added that once students learn how accessible it is to study abroad, usually through an information meeting, they start to believe that they can actually do it. There are 255 different universities in 55 different countries that participate in SJSU study abroad programs, and 35 out of those 55 countries offer classes in English, according to Toro.
SJSU’s Bilateral program is the most popular, ISEP is second and CSU International is in a close third, she said. The Bilateral program sends students to Japan, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France and Thailand, to name few places according to SJSU’s study abroad website. According to the website, the International Student Exchange Program, referred to as ISEP, is nationwide and offers programs to more than 200 different locations, such as Australia, Brazil, Estonia and China for junior or senior students. ISEP is the only program with an application fee, which
SJSU alumna Samantha Robinson, right and international business student Carolina Abarca ride a camel during a faculty-led program trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates in Jan. 2011. Photo by Jack Barnwell / Spartan Daily
Information compiled from SJSU Study Abroad website
Most popular study abroad programs SJSU Bilateral Program Go abroad for an academic year, semester, summer or short-term program. CSU International Academic year only program offered to all CSU campuses.
is $375, but with that fee you can apply to up to 10 different schools at once, Toro said. Furthermore, the CSU international program offers 19 different locations, such as Mexico, Israel, Ghana, Sweden and many
International Student Exchange Prog ram Travel to any worldwide destination year round, a semester or summer. SJSU short term program Can include an internship or service learning component.
more places, according to SJSU’s study abroad website. Faculty and students from SJSU will also be heading all over the world this summer while participating in the campus’ Faculty-Led Overseas
Map generated by Leo Postovoit and Brittany Patterson / Spartan Daily
Course Program. This program allows faculty to teach SJSU courses overseas and incorporates the host culture and local attractions into the curriculum. This summer classes will travel to France, Ireland, Vietnam, the West Indies and other places depending on departments. SJSU student Daniel Malkin chose to study abroad for a semester in England Fall 2011. “Before I never would think about moving to a different place, but now seeing so many parts of Europe it makes me wonder maybe I do want to try it out for a year or two,” said Malkin, a senior psychology major.
Socialization, cultural experiences, traveling and responsibility is what Malkin said he took from studying abroad. Malkin further adds that it gave him a lot more responsibility and got him ready to start his adult life. “One of my favorite experiences was going to Oktoberfest in Munich,” Malkin said. He said they had great food, drank beer and went on great amusement rides. “There’s nothing better to do than learn about yourself … Learning how to take care of yourself … How to spend your money and budget,” Malkin said.